To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his letter of 8 January 1998, concerning Christmas Island, what action has been taken on the costs and technical issues involved in the clean-up of Christmas Island. [39312]

Since my letter of 8 January there has been a further round of correspondence between myself, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence and the Secretary of State for International Development. Officials have drawn up a three stage plan to identify the cost and technical issues that would be involved in any future clean-up of Christmas Island.